A group of scientists in Germany have created what would be the smallest capacitor in the world. It is smaller than a speck of dust, but still has a voltage very close to that of an AAA battery. This novel energy-storing device is not only for use in the human body, but also uses important ingredients in the blood to enhance its performance.
This group was working on conventional condensers, but of a very small size. The development of this type of device is very complicated to do , so the researchers sought to make one that could work without any problem in the human body to power small sensors or implants.
The advantages of microelectronics
These devices are called biosupercapacitors. Its construction begins with a stack of polymeric layers interspersed thanks to a light-sensitive photoresist material that has the function of acting as a current collector. It also has a separating membrane and electrodes made of an electrically conductive material.
This is placed on a very fine surface that is subjected to a lot of mechanical stress, causing the different layers to peel off in a very controlled way and occupy a tiny space.
This new device is up to 3,000 times smaller than any other prototype made previously. However, it has the same power charge as an AAA battery, albeit with a much lower actual current flow. There are many types of batteries with more and less voltage, but this mini capacitor has the same voltage as an AAA battery.
After development, the devices were placed in saline, blood plasma, and blood . In all three locations they successfully demonstrated that they had the ability to store energy, although it was most effective in the blood, retaining 70% of its capacity after up to 16 hours of operation.
Another reason that blood may be the ideal habitat for the superbiocondenser is that the apparatus works with inherent enzymatic reactions and living cells in solution to supercharge its own charge storage reactions, increasing its performance by up to 40%.
It can help detect diseases
The scientists also took the opportunity to subject the superbiocondenser to forces it might experience in blood vessels where flow and pressure fluctuate, placing them in microfluidic channels. The tests that were done turned out to be positive.
They also linked three of these devices to successfully power a small pH sensor , which could be used to place it in the blood vessels and measure both the pH and detect possible anomalies that could be indicative that the subject could suffer from a disease.
That is why this new form of microelectronics, flexible and adaptable without problems to the human body, is gradually making its way into biological systems.